


The Past, The Present, and the future

by Rin_chan32



Category: Houseki no Kuni
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, F/F, Fluff, Human AU, M/M, Slight Lapis Lazuli/Rutile, Slight Padparadscha/Rutile/Yellow Diamond, Slight Rutile/Yellow Diamond, Slight Yellow Diamond/Padparadscha, slight angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-13
Updated: 2018-12-25
Packaged: 2019-06-26 15:39:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 14,026
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15666177
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rin_chan32/pseuds/Rin_chan32
Summary: Everything began when Padparadscha visited Rutile when they were studying for their class early in the morning.“They were happy to know that Padparadscha was okay in this moment…”Then everything came crashing down for Rutile when the other was induced into a coma for 6 long years.“‘It’s glad to be back…’ Padparadscha muttered with a smile, taking their hand and rustling Rutiles head with a happy smile.”Now, the other is home and the two of them can rebuild and enjoy their lives together.3/3





	1. The Past

Rutile let out a sigh as they looked down at the textbook in front of them, running their hands through their hair as their tired eyes read the small words on the page. They turned the page with a groan as they were greeted with more pages with tiny words. “God, how many pages are there?” They grumbled as they started to flip through the pages to see how many pages were left in the chapter they had to read. _6 more pages left, I can do this.._ they thought, going back to the page they were on before they smacked their face with their hands.

 

“Come on Rutile,” they muttered to themselves, resting their head in their weak hands as they started to read the words again, reading the first paragraph before they started to fall asleep again. “Damnit..” Rutile groaned, closing their eyes as they leaned back into the chair and let out a disappointed sigh. They stayed like that for a while before they sat up, grabbing their phone and looked at them and their partner— Padparadscha— before looking at the time.

 

“1:35…” Rutile sighed as they turned off and threw their phone on their bed, rubbing their hands through their hair as they thought for a minute two. “I wonder if I have anymore energy drinks,” they muttered before they got up and walked to the kitchen.

 

They opened the refrigerator in hopes that they had _something_ to keep them awake, but nothing but water and food. An angry moan came from their lips as they slammed the door shut, sighing for the umpteenth time as they rested their head on the refrigerator door, staying there for what seemed like an eternity.

 

Rutile lifted their head off of the refrigerator door and rubbed their tired eyes, going to the door and being greeted by a familiar face and a cheeky smile.

 

“Here, I think you need this,” Padparadscha handed Rutile a thin can with the label of an energy drink, which the younger gem happily took and opened it without a second thought.

 

“Ah, I love you so much,” Rutile said with a happy sigh before they opened the door for the other and walked back to their room.

 

“Are you still studying?” Padparadscha asked as they followed the other to their room.

 

“Yea, I have 6 pages left before I’m done for the night.” Rutile replied as they sat down at their dimly lit desk.

 

The red-head sighed, “that’s too much, just call it quits and read the rest in the morning.” They told the other, laying on their bed and stealing one of their pillows.

 

“You know I can’t do that, Padparadscha,” Rutile sighed, looking up from their book and smiled at the other softly.

 

“You can,” Padparadscha said, groaning as they got out of their comfortable position and going over to the other, putting a paper in the book and shut the book. “Go to sleep.”

 

Rutile sighed as they opened the book again, “it’s only 6 pages left, I can up a bit longer.”

 

The red-head closed it again, “go to sleep Rutile.”

 

And the other opened it, “It’s fine, I can finish it Padparadscha.”

 

The book was closed again, “I can tell you’re tired, you need to sleep.”

 

And then it was opened again, “I’m fine, I can stay up for a bit longer.”

 

“How many pages do you have left?” Padparadscha asked, closing the book and leaning on it as they looked at their partner curiously.

 

Rutile paused and looked at the other for about a minute, “five…?”

 

Padparadscha flicked them as they chuckled at their face, “It’s 6 pages left. You’re tired, go to sleep.”

 

“I can finish it, it’s not that much left to read and-“

 

The other sighed as they opened the book and pointed at the tiny words on the page, “with these small of words on the pages, it’s going to take longer than you think.”

 

Rutile looked at the page for a while before they nodded, finally admitting defeat as they leaned back in their chair and closed their eyes. “You’re right…”

 

Padparadscha looked at the other before they laughed a bit, lifting up their slightly larger hand before that pat their head. “Because you’re so stubborn, do you want me read this dumb book for you?”

 

Rutile opened their eyes and looked at their partner, “Really?”

 

“Hell yeah,” they replied, the both of them laughing before the older gem picked up the text book and started to read it.

 

Unfortunately, they fell asleep after finishing the second page so they didn’t get that much farther.

 

Rutile looked at the other, watching them sleep peacefully with their text book in their arms, smiling at them softly before they got up from their chair. They took the book from their hands and set it on the desk before they moved their partner in a more comfortable position, pulling the blanket above their still body before they sat down.

 

“Four more pages,” they muttered with a sigh before they rested their head on their hands, glancing over the words on the page to find where Padparadscha left off. They stared at the small letters for a minute or two before they let out a heavy exhale and covered their face with their hands. “Ugh, why is this so hard…”

 

Rutile was in their final year of medical school and was almost grateful for their schooling to be _finally_ over. The reason why they were so grateful was so they can use their new skills to try to help their partner.

 

Padparadscha was never one who was okay health wise, they always went in and out of hospitals ever since Rutile met them. The red gem would always be hospitalized for some sort of problem that they had, and Rutile was always there for them. It wasn’t until Padparadscha went into the hospital for a serious problem was when Rutile realized that they wanted to help them out more. So, they decided to go into medical school and never told the other their intentions, knowing that the other would stop them.

 

Rutile sighed as they covered their face, staying like that for a few minutes before they looked back at their book. “Maybe Pad was right…” they muttered, looking at the four pages remaining before they finally admitted their defeat, shutting the book with a bookmark sticking out of the top.

 

They got up from their chair and tucked it in, turning off of the lamp at their desk before they sat down on their bed next to Padparadscha, who was still sleeping peacefully. Rutile looked at them with a small smile, stroking their fluffy and curly hair before they laid down next to the older gem with a small sigh.

 

When the younger gem laid down next to the other, there was a comforting warmth between the two. With the way how warm Padparadscha’s body was along with their long fluffy hair that was in a ponytail that framed their face and body. Their gentle and soft breaths came out softly as their abdomen and torso rose with each inhale. Rutile could help put to rest their head on their flat chest, their head slightly moving with their chest as they listened to their heartbeat steadily beating. They closed their eyes before wrapping their slender arms around the others slightly larger chest, gently drifting off to sleep next to the other.

 

When morning arose, Rutile woke up with the brown part of their hair on their face and on the corner of their mouth. Their right hand rose and rubbed their face before moving the hair out of their face. Rutile’s head moved to the side, looking at the red fluff next to them for a few seconds before they sat up, their brown eyes meeting the older gem who was fast asleep. “Pad,” they said with exhaust apparent in their voice, “Pad, are you awake?”

 

“I’m up…” they replied, their eyes remaining closed as a sigh emitted from their lips. “Did you finish your chapter yet?” They asked as they stretched, their fingers and the back of their hand brushing up against their arm and a bit of their shoulder.

 

“No, I went to sleep not too long after you did.” Rutile said with a sigh as they watched Padparadscha sit up, holding back the urge to laugh from their bed hair.

 

“Damn…” they muttered, their long, slender fingers moving back a few curly strand of hair in their face. Their reddish eyes looked up and looked at Rutiles face, a small chuckle escaping their lips before they leaned over and gave them a big hug. “Do you want to finish the rest today?” They whispered softly before their lips gently kissed the yellow part of Rutiles hair, resting their head on the others.

 

Rutile shook their head as they wrapped their arms around Padparadscha’s slightly larger torso, “no, I want to stay like this…” they said as they rested their head on their chest once again and listened to their heart beat.

 

“Alright, that’s fine with me…” Padparascha said with a gentle smile, letting out a large exhale of comfort as they closed their eyes. “I love you, Rutile.” They muttered softly as they held the other close to them.

 

“I love you too…” Rutile muttered, closing their eyes as they listened to the steady beat of the others heart, glad to be in the others arm and listening to their heart.

 

They were happy to know that Padparadscha was okay in this moment…

  



	2. The Present

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is literally the longest chapter I have even written for something, I’m almost surprised that I can write this much for something.

_“I love you.”_

 

Those were the last words Rutile heard before Padparadscha’s accident happened and they were induced into a coma. Those were the last words Rutile heard before Padparadscha left their dingy apartment and got into a car crash on their way home. Those were the last words that they heard from them in person, but they’re always the first words they hear in every nightmare.

 

Rutile’s eyes opened with the sound of the alarm next to them, listening to the obnoxious ringing as a tear rolled down their damp cheek. A shaky breath escaped their lips as they closed their eyes and wiped their tears with their index finger, sniffing a bit before they sat up and turned off their alarm.

 

They got up from their bed and navigated their way to the bathroom in the darkness, squinting as the bright lights from the bathroom came on. They let their eyes adjust before they closed the door, shedding off their clothes from last night before they got into the shower.

 

Rutile rested their body against the cold tile as hot water poured onto them from the shower head above them, letting the small beads of water fell onto their body. They stood there silently as their brown eyes looked down at their cut up wrists, watching water run down each line and bump from their self harm. A sigh came from their lips as the blinked and moved to look away from the cuts, shoving the thought into the back into their mind.

 

They finished their quick shower before they got out and left their bathroom, navigating to their room in darkness before they turned on their light to their bedroom. They rummaged around their closet for work clothes, pulling out the first ones that caught their eye and threw them on their bed.

 

A tired sigh left Rutiles lips as their fingers buttoned up the buttoned on their shirt before they threw on the rest of their clothes, sitting on their bed as they fished black shoes from underneath their bed. When they were _finally_  done getting ready, they grabbed the black gloves next to their badge and car keys, sliding them on to hide the scars on her arms before she left the apartment.

 

They drove down the same road as they always do, going into the parking lot of the partially full hospital. Rutile grabbed the stuff that they needed before they got out and walked to the glass doors at the front of the building. They clocked in and put their stuff in a locker, turning around and going to the 5th floor to room 529.

 

When their hand grasped onto the doorknob before opening it, a heavy feeling in their chest developing as they took a few steps inside of the partially dark room. Everything was silent besides the sound of the ventilator running and the steady monotone beeping of the heart monotone. There was a small shuffle on the couch on the far side of the room before a flash of yellow hair was seen. “Rutile, that you?” A tired, but yet somewhat relaxed voice that echoed through the almost silent room.

 

“Yea, it’s me,” Rutile replied, closing the door as they walked into the quiet and dark room. “Did anything happen to Pad while I was gone, Yellow?”

 

Yellow Diamond shook their head, “nope, nothing came from them…” they said with a sigh sitting up on the slightly uncomfortable couch and looked at them with somewhat sad eyes. “How long has it been since Padparadscha woke up?”

 

Rutile sighed, taking a seat down next to their old friend and looked down at the ground. “It’s been 6 years..,” they muttered softly as they closed their eyes and let the guilt fill their entire body. The two of them were quiet for a while before Yellow sighed and looked at their old friend.

 

“How have you been?” They asked Rutile softly, worry in their voice, “have you been sleeping well and eating..?”

 

Rutile paused, sighing as they let out a small sigh before they gentle shook her head. “I’ve been eating when I have to the time,” they paused and looked at Yellow Diamond, who gave them a look of disapproval. Before they could scold them, they looked away and opened their mouth to speak. “And I haven’t been sleeping well… I still have nightmares of when Pad went into the hospitals and I always wake up early because of it. And then there’s nights where I have to work late and I just stay in here until I get off.”

 

Yellow let out a heavy sigh, “Rutile, you need to take care of yourself. I know that things are getting hard for you right now, but please take a break once in a while…”

 

The younger gem frowned at their statement, letting out a sigh as they looked at the ground again. Yellow Diamond was one of Rutiles oldest friends, even being older than Padparadscha by a few year and was also one of the most trustworthy person they know. They could always go to the older gem any time of the day to get advice, and they would always get the best words of wisdom  that the other would give. But… this time Rutile just couldn’t make themselves listen to Yellow this time…

“I can’t…” Rutile muttered as they let out a heavy sigh and put their head in their gloved hands with a frown. “I can’t bring myself to take care of myself when Padparadscha hasn’t even opened this eyes for 6 years…”

 

It was quiet for a while before there was a sigh and the space next to them shifted as Yellow got up from their seat and sat down on the floor with their hand on their knee.

 

“Rutile,” Yellow Diamond muttered softly, “you know Pad wouldn’t be proud of you if they found out that you’re doing this. I really do know that you’re in pain that they’re like this, but you need to take care of yourself in this situation too.” They muttered softly as they looked at Rutile with a frown, “I know that your worried about them and that you literally spent the past 6 years putting your entire life into making them get better.”

 

“But-” Rutile started but couldn’t say anything else before Yellow added something else to their argument.

 

“I know that you’ve been coming here everyday in your break,” they muttered quietly, “and I know that you’re staying after you get off of work, you’ve been dedicating too much of your life for them to get better.”

 

The younger gem was quiet before they sighed and gave the other a small nod. They didn’t know how to say no to the other to that…

 

Yellow took their silence as an admission of defeat, smiling at the other softly, “lets have lunch together today, like the old times.”

 

Rutile was quiet for a bit before they nodded, lifting their head up and smiling at the other slightly. “Yea, let’s do that…”

 

“Good,” Yellow Diamond replied as their smile grew, getting up from the floor and rustled their hair, “I have to leave to go pick up Zircon from their thing later today, but just shoot me a message and I’ll be here.”

 

Zircon was a Yellow’s cousin who lived with them for a reason the older one never went into detail about. All Rutile knew about the situation was Zircon’s parents went missing or something and Yellow took them in and they’ve been together ever since then. Ever since they started to live with the Diamond, the youngest gem hung out with Rutile and Padparadscha more since they wanted to be with Yellow almost all the time. Rutile never had a problem with it, they enjoyed their company— especially in these last few years.

 

“Okay,” the other gem replied, their smile growing slightly when the elder rustled their hair, getting up so they could go to doing what they were supposed to be doing. “I’ll see you guys later then.”

 

They gave Yellow Diamond a small wave, turning around and looking at Padparadscha sleeping in their hair-filled hospital bed. Rutile let out a sigh as they moved their long bangs out of their face, their thin lips pressing together and forming into a frown as they looked at them. “I’ll see you later,” they whispered to the other gently before they took their hand off of their red hair and walked out of the hospital room.

 

Rutile turned around and rested their back on the wall next to the plate either the room number, letting out yet another heavy sigh as they closed their eyes. _They’re going to be okay…_ they thought to themselves as their bit their inner lip, lifted up the sleeve of the lab coat around their body to feel each and every individual bump on their wrist with their gloves hands. It was a habit that they did these days, it somehow calmed them and put them at ease. Plus they didn’t have the time to actually to do anything rash or have to deal with the constant pain in their wrists, so they just rubbed each scar instead of doing anything.

 

They didn’t realize how long they were standing there until a gentle hand was on their shoulder. Rutile opened their brown eyes to see their co-worker Lapis Lazuli next to them, a pile of books in their arms as usual and a worried look in their dark blue eyes. “Are you okay?” They asked, their voice softly and gentle with a reassuring touch in it.

 

Rutile nodded, “Yea, I’m fine.” They replied, earning a scoff from the other.

 

“You’re not,” Lapis muttered with a small smile, “I can see it in your eyes that you’re not okay.”

 

“Cunning as always,” the other said jokingly, the both of them chuckling as Lapis positioned themselves to have their back up against the wall as well. Rutile watched them shift the books in their arm to the other as their head moved downwards to look at the ground. “Are you guys moving things around in the front desk?”

 

“Yea,” the blue gem said with a small sigh, “we were supposed to do it last night, but we never got to it. Since we never did it, Jade told us to do it now while it’s not too busy so it’ll be done with.”

 

“Unless there’s another surprise rush like there was last month,” Rutile added, Lapis’ lips forming into a smile as they chuckled once again.

 

“Hopefully that doesn’t happen again for a long time,” they said as they turned their head to look down the hall to look at Ghost Quartz—their front desk buddy— coming down the hall with their arms full of books as well. “Is your friend not up yet?” They asked softly as they turned to look at Rutile again.

 

“Not yet… its been 6 years since they came here and I’m just hoping they wake up sometime soon…”

 

Lapis hummed, their lips turning into a smile again as they put their hand on their shoulder reassuringly. “I know that it’s been gnawing at you for a while,” they said before they moved their hair behind their shoulder and got up off of the wall, “hopefully they wake up soon.”

 

“Thanks…” Rutile murmured as they gave them a small smile.

 

Lapis looked over their shoulder to see how far Ghost was before they looked at Rutile once more and gave them a smile. “No problem, see you later.” They said with a wave before they walked away to go back to doing their job.

 

Rutile watched them leave and turn the corner to go to the front desk before they sighed, getting up from the wall before they walked to their next patients room to take care of them.

 

The rest of the day was drawn out and slow, they were practically hoping that there was a sudden rush of people so time could go by quicker. Rutile even found themselves hanging out in the break room multiple times talking to other staff and leaving as fast as they could when Jade or Euclase could be heard coming. They would’ve hung out with Yellow, but they decided to only go into Padparadscha’s room when they needed to.

 

Rutile knew that Yellow liked to talk to Padparadscha about things when it was just the two of them in the room. Sometimes when they walked in they heard Yellow reminiscing about memories they had together and sometimes they heard them whispering about private stuff. So instead of actually coming and ruining their one-sided conversation.

 

They actually forgot that Yellow told them that they were leaving to get Zircon, so it was quite surprising to them when they walked in to see that Padparadscha was the only one in the room. They stood in the doorway for about a minute, smiling at them before they went to their bedside. “Did you have a good talk with Yellow?” They whispered as they moved their long red bangs to the side of their face and smiled at them gently.

 

They left their heart sink as well as lonliness rested on their shoulders as there was no reply from the one below them, just the whirring ventilator and the beeping heart monitor gave them company. Rutile frowned as their sad eyes moved to look at their covered body before looking at their long, curly hair. “I guess that you accomplished your goal on growing your hair out…” they muttered optimistically, looking at the other with a small smile as they looked at their sleeping face.

 

Ever since Rutile met the other, Padparadscha always wanted to grow their hair out to be the longest it could be. They wouldn’t let anyone cut it and always ignored people who complained about it being too long or too big. Rutile didn’t mind the thought of them growing out their hair, they actually quite like it. They were always close with the other when they spent who knows how long brushing out their red mane— plus Padparadscha’s body was always warm in the winter, so they were like a gigantic portable heater when the cold seasons roll around.

 

A sigh left their lips once again as they looked at their face, reaching into their coat pocket and pulling out their phone to text Yellow about them going on break before shoving it back into their pocket.  They gave Padparadscha’s one last look before they frowned softly, turning around and leaving the others room, nearly running into Jade as they walked out.

 

The green gem grasped tightly onto the clipboard they were holding onto and pressed the loose papers against their chest as they took a strong step backwards to steady their balance. Rutile, on the other hand, just stumbled clumisly into the wall behind them. “Sorry, I wasn’t paying attention,” they murmured as they looked at their supervisor in front of them.

 

Jade shook their head as they stacked their papers neatly on their clipboard before they looked at the other with a little smile, “don’t worry about it, I was actually looking for you.”

 

Rutile gave them a weird look, “you were?”

 

Jade nodded before they started to walk past them, “Yea, Euclase and I need to discuss something with you— you aren’t in trouble, so don’t worry too much.” Rutile couldn’t do too much but give them a slow nod and followed the other.

 

They felt their palms getting sweaty as they followed Jade into the room where Euclase was waiting for the two of them to get there. The white half of their hair was facing towards the door when they walked in, turning their head so both white and blue could be seen for them. “You’re here,” they said as they put down the stack of papers there were looking at. “You can sit down if you want to.”

 

Rutile nodded again as they moved their nervous body to sit down at one of the chairs there were in the room, letting out a small sigh as they watched their supervisors sit across from them. Their heavy nervousness only increased as the both of them glanced at each other for a split second before they looked at Rutile.

 

“We need to talk about Padparadscha,” Euclase said softly with a sigh.

 

“What about them?” Rutile asked, panic coursing through their veins as they almost hopped out of their seat.

 

“We-“ Jade stopped themselves as they sighed and looked at the ground to find the right words to say, “we got orders from the higher-ups that we gave to unplug them-“

 

“Why!?” Rutile yelled, their voice raising as they felt their body started to shake. Their panicked eyes looked at both Jade’s and Euclase’s guilty looks, the multi-colored gem looking at their partner before they looked at Rutile.

 

“They… they told us that they’ve been getting complaints about the same room being occupied for 6 years,” Euclase said, frowning as they looked at Rutile sadly, “so they told us that we needed to unplug them so we can have more room for people.”

 

“Which is stupid on their part,” Jade muttered as they rubbed their temples with their thumb and index finger, “they should’ve just told the front desk or one of us personally so we could move them somewhere else.” They muttered, the room going  completely silent after their small rant before Euclase sighed and looked at the other.

 

“They wanted us to do it today, but we managed to create a little bit of wiggle room,” Euclase muttered as they looked at Rutile, “we’re going to give them a week to wake up, if they don’t wake up by then, then we’re going to have to pull the plug.”

 

“We’re really sorry about this Rutile,” Jade added as they took their hand off of their temples and looked at them with a frown, “if it were our decision to make, we wouldn’t let it come to this.”

 

Rutile could do nothing but nod and hold back their tears threatening to fall, “I know…” they muttered as they looked at their supervisors in front of them and forced a smile. “You guys aren’t the type to do that.”

 

Jade nodded with a hum as they got up from their chair they were sitting in and went over to them, placing a hand of reassurance on their shoulder. “Go ahead and go home, you’ve done enough work today and you need a break.” They whispered softly before they took their hand off them and left the room with Euclase following behind them.

 

Rutile watched them leave the room before they let the held back tears off of their system, hiding their face in their clothes hands as they wept. They weren’t ready to accept the fact that Padparadscha wasn’t going to wake up again. They weren’t ready to live the left of their life without their reassurance or anything. They weren’t ready to admit that they failed keeping their partner alive. They weren’t ready to admit that Padparadscha was going to be gone forever.

 

They desperately grasped onto their hair as they sobbed, letting out shaky breaths as let their tears go down their face. They stayed like that until they felt like they had no more tears to cry.

 

Their gloved hands wiped their wet face before they lifted themselves out of the chair they were in, letting out a shaky sigh as they walked out of the room. They took off their gloves and shoved them into their pocket, walking off to go to the break room to gather all of their stuff. They almost forgot that they just finished bawling their eyes out before they heard a soft voice call out their name.

 

Rutile turned around to see Diamond behind them, in their scrubs as usual with small specks of blood on her shoulder and on their torso. _They just might’ve finished another surgery…_ they thought to themselves before they gave the other a small smile. “Do you need something, Dia?”

 

The surgeon shook their head, giving them their signature sweet smile, “no, I don’t need anything,” they said putting something into their pocket before they went over to them with a gentle look on their colorful eyes. “I was going to go and look for Bort, but I saw you,” they stopped talking as they tilted their head to the side, lifting up their hand and gliding the soft pad of their finger to wipe a tear under their eye before smiling again. “I figured that you needed my help.”

 

Rutile looked at Diamond with a slightly surprised look before they let out a small sigh and looked at them gently, “thank Dia, but you really don’t need to use your-“

 

“Did something happen?” The other one asked, not letting Rutile be their stubborn self and not beg help when they need it.

 

“Yea…” They muttered after a while, nodding and looking at the ground as their conversation with Jade and Euclase came into mind. “It’s…” a sigh came from their lips, “It’s about Padparadscha..”

 

“Do you want to talk about it?” Diamond asked them generously, but earned a small no from Rutile.

 

“I would accept, but don’t you have a surgery soon?” Rutile asked, furrowing their eyebrows as they looked at the other shake their head. Diamond and their partner Bort were both _very_ skilled surgeons that a large majority of hospital knew about. The entire facility was over the moon when Jade and Euclase told them that the Diamonds were going to be with them. And ever since then, those two were always busy with surgeries— it was practically normal to see the two of them going down the hallway in a rush with a bed following them. But, with them always being busy, they didn’t really get any breaks from being so busy— it was rare to see them doing something rather than surgeries.

 

“I do, but that’s not for another 45 minutes or so,” Diamond said with a smile before they walked ahead of them, “I’m sure that they won’t mind if I talk with you on my break.”

 

Rutile looked at the other before they nodded, following the other outside with a bit of guilt in their chest as they followed Diamond out.

 

The two gems went outside and sat down on the concrete steps, the both of them quiet for a while as they enjoyed the warm weather and gentle breezes. Diamond was the one who interrupted the silence by letting out a deep exhale before looking at them. “So what happened with Padparadscha?” They asked them gently, hugging their knees as they looked at Rutile. The other gem then explained the conversation that they had with Jade and Euclase, Diamond listening to every word the other gave them.

 

Diamond was quiet for a while before they gave the other a sad smile and gave them a warm embrace. “I’m sorry that they told you that,” they whispered softly, letting out a gentle sigh as they gently closed their eyes. “But I know how you feel though… to lose someone you did your very best to save.”

 

The two were quiet again before Rutile moved their head to look at the other, “Are you talking about the child that you had to do surgery on a few months ago?”

 

Diamond nodded, letting go of the other and forced a smile from bringing up a bad memory. “But let’s not talk about myself though, you’re the one who needs the support right now.”

 

“I guess…” they muttered, reaching into their pocket and pulling out their phone to see a text from Yellow saying that they were on their way.

 

The other gems smiled at them softly, “at least Jade and Euclase know how much you care about them and managed to do it until next week.” They said optimistically, Rutile nodded in agreement silently before they let out a small sigh.

 

“Yea,” Rutile muttered as they looked down at the ground, “I’m glad that they pushed it back until next week, it gives them time to wake up… but I’m still afraid that they won’t wake up-“

 

“Because if they’ve been asleep for 6 years, how can they wake up in a week, right?” Diamond finished their sentence before they smiled at them and looked at the road in front of them. Rutile looked at them with slight surprise before they nodded and looked at the road as well.

 

“You know,” Diamond said again with a small sigh, “Lapis told me that you shouldn’t worry about the bad stuff so much. They said that it’ll only make you worry about everything and stress yourself out,” they leaned over and put a hand on their shoulder, “I’m sure that everything is going to be okay with Padparadscha.”

 

Rutile looked at Diamond before they nodded with a smile, “that does sound like something Lapis would say…” they said as they chuckled a bit with Diamond. “But Thanks Dia, I needed to hear that today.”

 

The other smiled at them happily, opening their mouth to speak but the buzzer that was clipped to their side went off. An audible sigh left their lips before Diamond got up a little bit and hugged them, their softly and squishy cheek pressing against Rutile’s. “I have to go early, but hopefully everything will go okay!” They said softly before they left go of them and went up the stairs to go back inside.

 

Rutile watched the other one go inside before they sighed and waited for Yellow’s car to show up, getting up and going inside as well to go to the break room.

 

They stopped at their locker when they got there and stared at their stuff, trying to decide if they wanted to go home or not like Jade said. It was after a while they looked away from their locker to seeing Lapis Lazuli coming into the break room. “Leaving already?” They asked them curiously as they went to their assigned locker to take their things out.

 

Rutile shrugged as they sighed, “I’m not sure yet… Jade gave me the okay to go home early today, but I don’t know if I want to go or not.”

 

Lapis smiled softly as they took their things out of their locker and looked at them, “I think you should, it’s not everyday where they let people go home early and plus you need it.”

 

Rutile hummed in agreement as they watched the blue gem lift up their long hair and put their backpack on, “Are you about to leave?”

 

The other one shook their head, “I have to stay here for a few more hours, I’m just going on break.” They said with a sigh, closing their locker before they waved and started to head towards the door. “See you, Rutile.”

 

They waved back and watched the other leave before they sighed, taking their phone out to look at the text from Yellow Diamond. “I should probably go home…” they muttered, reaching their hand into their locker and pulled out their stuff.

 

Rutile clocked out before they went past the front desk as they went out the front doors to Yellow’s car.

 

Yellow Diamond got out of their car to greet them and gave the other a small look of confusion, “leaving work already?”

 

“Yea, Jade let me go early,” Rutile answered truthfully as they followed Yellow back and earned a curious glance from the elder.

 

“Did something happen?” They asked with worry as they got into the driver's side of the car.

 

Rutile nodded, turning around to wave to Zircon before looking at the other. “Yea, I’ll tell you about it later.”

 

Yellow let out a small sigh of worry as they nodded, turning around to watch Zircon move their stuff over and position themselves to be in the middle seat to be in between them. Once they were happy where they were, Yellow Diamond started to drive to where they were going to eat at.

 

They ended up going to a small cafe place not too far from Rutile’s place so they could eat something  and Rutile could get some rest after they ate. When they sat down and got their drinks, Rutile started to tell them about what Jade and Euclase told them not too long ago.

 

“So…” Zircon started, shifting awkwardly in their seat as they looked at the other two, “Pad’s has a week left?” They asked as confirmation, worry and sadness in their voice as they spoke.

 

Rutile nodded, “Yea…” they muttered as they looked down at the table to avoid their worried and sad looks. They moved their eyes upwards as Yellow Diamond sighed and put their head in their hand.

 

“That’s…” they started, stopping themselves as they tried to find the right words to say. In the end, they didn’t finish was they were going to say and was just silent for a while. Zircon looked at them with a frown for a while before they pulled the other one into a reassuring hug.

 

Rutile knew that Yellow Diamond always had a thing for Padparadscha, even though they broke up in the last year of high school, Yellow always liked them. They were so good at hiding it too, Rutile never would’ve guessed it unless they didn’t accidentally walk in on them talking to Padparadscha. So they know that this was all hard on them knowing that they one they loved was going to be gone for good.

 

“I’m sorry,” Rutile muttered softly as they looked back at the table, letting out a guilty sigh as they closed their eyes. The table went quiet after their reply, making the other immediately regret their answer.

 

“Why are you apologizing?” Yellow asked after a while, their voice making them lift their head up to look at the other two.

 

“Because I’m not a good enough doctor to take care of them,” Rutile said, inhaling deeply as they started to dump their insecurities on the other two. “I… I’m not good enough take care of them and because of that they’re not awake yet. And it’s all my fault that they’re not here and that they’re going to leave for good next week and if only-“

 

“It’s not your fault!” Zircon yelled, their head looking down at the table as visible tears ran down their cheeks. “It’s not your fault or anyone else’s,” They sniffled, looking up to look at the two adults with them before they used the back of their hand to wipe away their tears. “Padparadscha is going to be okay… they’re going to wake up before next week.”

 

Yellow was quiet before they nodded softly and let out a small sigh. “You’re right…” they muttered as they looked at Zircon before looking at their friend.

 

Rutile nodded in agreement as they let out a small sigh, “Yea…” they muttered as they looked at the other two, “sorry for ranting.”

 

“It’s fine,” Zircon said, wiping away some of their tears and smiling at the other.

 

The rest of their dinner was awkward for the first part, but it turned good near the end half. It ended with the three of them laughing at a distant memory that they all experience. It was nice to forget about all of the bad stuff that was going at the hospital, it was nice to not worry about anything for a while.

 

Or, at least that was the case until Rutile got back to their apartment.

 

They gave big hugs to Yellow Diamond and Zircon, watching them get back into their car and drove away. Rutile happily went back to their apartment and shoved their key into the hole before they swung the door open, and their happy mood immediately went away. Instead of meeting Padparadscha, they were greeted with their dark and empty apartment.

 

Rutile let out a sad sigh as they closed the door behind them, turning on the lights as they stumbled to their messy room. They took of their clothes and put them in the dirty clothes basket, putting on their pajamas before they went and turned the lights off again. Rutile got into their bed and laid there, looking at their ceiling before a single tear trickled down their cheek and they started to cry. They hated laying in their cold  bed alone at the night more than ever.

 

It was then when they realized how lonely they were all 6 years Padparadscha was gone. It never hit them about how lonely they were coming home everyday to their dark apartment and not being welcome by their warm and happy smile. They realized how upset they always were celebrating their birthday alone without Padparadscha’s. And they realize how much they wanted to come home to someone and rant about their day besides the people at the front desk or anyone else at work. And it they cried because they realized how much they missed them.

 

Rutile closed their eyes tightly as they weeped like a child, letting all of their tears roll down their cheeks and make wet spots in the pillow beneath them. Their shaking hand wiped away their falling tears as they tried to calm themselves down, looking at the dark ceiling as they took in deep breaths. They ended up crying themselves asleep that night, streaks from their falling tears still on their cheeks when they woke up.

 

The rest of the days went by slow and dully, each day becoming more and more miserable for Rutile. Everyday was the same like the last for them— if they weren’t working, they laid in bed sulking and when they worked they did their job and was with Pad at every chance they could get. They always hoped to come in and see them sitting up in their bed, but they were still asleep everytime they came in.

 

When the day came to when Rutile had unplug Padparadscha, they woke up with dread weighing on their shoulders. Their tired, brown eyes looked up at the dark ceiling before they sat up and threw their warm blankets off of them. They navigated their way to the bathroom in the dark, squinting as they turned on the bathroom light before taking their clothes off.

 

They stood in the hot water as they looked at the scars on their arms and wrists, looking at the beads of water run across them with a frown. It wasn’t much longer before they got out and put a towel over their wet and bare body, looking in the foggy mirror for a few seconds before a few tears ran down their cheeks. They Really weren’t ready to go to work…

 

Rutile went back to their dark bedroom before they turned on the lamp next to their bed and searched for clothes to look something to wear for work. When they were done, they grabbed the stuff they needed for that day before they walked out of their front door and drove to work.

 

When they walked past the front doors, the gems at the front desk were indulged in their own conversation. Lapis— along with some of the other gems behind the desk— noticed their presence and placed their hot cup of coffee down on the surface. “Hey, are you feeling okay?” Their voice was soft and gentle as they spoke.

 

Rutile paused to think about their answer before they went up to  their desk and shook their head. “No, I’m not…” they muttered with a sigh.

 

Lapis’ lips turned downwards as they frowned, uncrossing their legs and moving past their co-workers next to them and went to them. They wrapped their arms around them tightly, their chest rising as they sigh and closed their eyes. Rutile stopped at the others act of kindness before they hugged them back tightly, their now-shaking fingers holding onto the back of their shirt and strand of their long and soft hair.

 

“Everything’s going to be okay,” they whispered in their ear quietly, Rutile letting out a small hum before nodding. The two stayed like that before the blue gem pulled away and rested a hand on their head. “Jade and Euclase won’t be here until later, so you have some time with them.”

 

“Thanks, Lapis…” they muttered softly as they gave them a small smile with a gentle sigh. Lapis Lazuli always took good care of them ever since they started to work there. They would always show them what to do or showed them where to go— and not to mention how much they helped Rutile through the 6 years Padparadscha was in their coma. Lapis always gave them a shoulder to cry on, they would always give them something to eat when they left theirs at home and they always took care of them.

 

They shook their head, “don’t worry about it.” Lapis said with a smile before they went back behind the front desk, their arms resting on the counter as their dark blue eyes looked at them. “Good luck today.”

 

Rutile gave them a nod before they walked away, “thank you again.”

 

Lapis gave them a small shrug that silently meant don’t worry about it (it was a habit that they always did), before they grabbed their coffee that was on the desk before they turned around to talk to their other co-workers with them.

 

Rutile looked at the before they walked to go check in, immediately going to Padparadscha’s room to check on their partner. They walked into the dark room and looked at the other, still fast sleep in their bed with no sign that they woke up. Their eyes moved to look at Yellow Diamond, who was sprawled out on the small couch that they were sleeping on.

 

A sigh came from their lips before they turned around and walked out of the room with a frown before they went to go check on their other patients. They constantly walked by Padparadscha’s room to see if they were awake, the small shard of hope they had in their chest shattering when they saw that they were still asleep.

 

After a while of hoping- no, praying for Padparadscha for wake up, Rutile’s hope was shattered as they saw Jade walking towards them, their green hair and lab coat following them as they walked towards the other. Their green eyes looked at them with sympathy before they sighed and looked at them, “I’m sorry to say this, but it’s time for you to take Padparadscha off of their life support now. Euclase and I can’t be there since we have to assist in the transplant Dia and Bort are doing, but I can have Lapis be with you for support while you do it.”

 

Rutile was about to shake their head ‘no’ before they sigh and looked at their supervisor, “Alright.”

 

Jade opened their mouth to say something, but closed it as they sighed once again. “I really am sorry about this.” They apologized once more before they pat their shoulder and walked away. Rutile watched them walk away before they let out a heavy exhale and they went back to Padparadscha’s room, their eyes looking up to see the other gem waiting outside of the room. They wanted to say something to the other, but didn’t know what to say so they acknowledged them with a small wave before they walked inside.

 

Yellow Diamond was gone from their temporary bed, which left the 3 of them alone in the room.  Rutile looked at Padparadscha once more before they sighed and bit their lip before they went to the side of their bed. “Lets…” they muttered softly as they looked at Padparadscha’s sleeping face as they held back their tears, “let’s go ahead and do this then.”

 

Lapis Lazuli looked at them with a small frown before they nodded with a sigh, going over to the IV bag next to them and started to take the cords out of their arms. Rutile watched them start to do what they were supposed to before they bit their lip once more before they started to take the cords out of their arm.

 

Tears started to stream down their face as their lips pressed together tightly as the heart monitor went to a monotone sound and a straight line across the screen.

 

_Wake Up._

 

Their hands started to shake violently as small cries escapes their lips as more of the cords came out of the others arms.

 

_Please wake up_

 

“Rutile?” Lapis’ voice made them stop focusing on what they were doing and look up at them. Their blue eyes looked at them worriedly as a few strands of hair fell in front of their shoulders. “Do you want me to do the rest?” They asked them gently.

 

Rutile opened their mouth at least twice before they looked down at Padparadscha’s still arm. “I-It’s fine, I can do this with you..”

 

“Are you sure?” Lapis asked worriedly, frowning and letting out a small sigh when the other nodded and continued to do what they were doing.

 

_Wake Up Pad._

 

Rutile continued to take each cord out of the others arm, their hands continuing to shake as tears went down their cheeks. They took in shaky breaths to try calm themselves down, but it didn’t help them at all.

 

_Wake up, please._

 

Their eyes looked up to watch Lapis’ slender hands stop what they were doing, putting something down before they turned around and left the room. A heavy sigh left their lips as they watched them leave as they moved their hands to take the ventilator off of their mouth. The whole time their took off the others mask they were thinking the same thing— please wake up, please wake up, please wake up, please wake up, please-

 

**_“Rutile, What are you doing?”_ **

 

Their body froze completely from the familiar voice below them, moving their face to look at the other.

 

Padparadscha’s eyes were partially open, their reddish eyes looking at them curiously, a small opening in their slightly parted lips. Rutile looked at them as they tightly pressed their quivering lips together and let the tears fall down their cheeks before they practically threw themselves onto the other. They sobbed into the others chest, their shaking fingers gripping tightly onto the others chest as they listened to the others steady heartbeat. They could tell that the other didn’t know what was going on from how they were still for a while before their hand lifted up and pat their head gently.

 

Padparadscha’s hand gently glided across the others slick hair as a way to calm the other down, making the other sob more from joy from being in the others arms.

 

Rutile opened their mouth as they let out a shaky breath, looking at the other with teary eyes. “You… you have no idea how long I’ve been waiting for this moment…” they muttered happily with a small smile.

 

The redhead frowned a bit as their chest rose and fell with a sigh, “Sorry I made you wait this long..” they whispered guiltily.

 

The other shook their head as they lifted themselves off of their chest, leaning in and planting a gentle kiss on the others forehead. “I’m just glad that I have you back.” They whispered quietly before they smiled at the other. Padparadscha smiled at the other before their slightly weak hand lifted up and held their hand, Rutile smiling happily as they squeezed their hand hand back.

 

They turned their attention to the door as Lapis Lazuli came back into their room with a fresh IV bag in their hand, Euclase following right behind them. “Welcome back,” Lapis said with a smile, putting another needle in their arm as they hung the bag back up.

 

“It’s glad to be back…” Padparadscha muttered with a smile, taking their hand and rustling Rutiles head with a happy smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Padparadscha’s room number, 529, is where they make their first appearance in the manga, which is volume 5, chapter 29.  
> Also, I did some research and incorporated the 231 years that they were asleep in the manga. Instead of just doing 231 days (which is a bit less than a year and isn’t thaat long), I did 2310 days and it roughly translates to 6 years and 7 months.


	3. The Future

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> LOUD SCREAMING  
> I’m super proud of myself that I finished a hnk series!!  
> This is also going to be my Christmas gift for all of you guys reading this because Ichikawa isn’t going to give us a good one!!  
> I hope you have an amazing holiday season and the next time I’ll update is on my birthday.

Rutile ran down the hallway as they went hurriedly to Padparadscha’s room, their small heels clicking on the tile ground as they painted. When they saw the numbers 529 on the side of the door, Rutile threw open the door and looked at Jade with worry in their brown eyes. “What’s going on?” They asked, their voice shaking with worry. 

 

Jade, who was leaning over Padparadscha’s bed, turned around and looked at Rutile with a frown on their lips. “I’m sorry, Rutile,” They said, looking behind them before they looked back at them, “they didn’t make it…”

 

“What… what do you mean?” They asked, their body shaking as they felt their eyes starting to burn, “they woke up, I saw them wake up next to me and-“

 

“Their heart failed last night while they were asleep,” Lapis said simply, sighing as they unplugged the cords from the wall, “we tried everything we could but they wouldn’t wake up.” They replied, looking at them before they looked back down in the cords in their hands. 

 

Jade opened their mouth- most likely to apologize once again- but closed it as Euclase knocked on the door and whispered softly before they both left. Lapis let out a sigh as they set some the unplugged cords to the side, starting to leave the room as well. “I’ll give you two some space,” They whispered softly before they left the room as well. 

 

Rutile looked at Padparadscha’s body with sadness in their eyes before tears rolled down their cheeks, taking shaky steps as they went to their partner's bedside. “Pad..?” They whispered softly, grabbing their hand tightly as they continued to say their name, their voice getting louder each time their name passed through their lips. They eventually realized that the other was gone for good, they collapsed on their knees and cried heavily as their gripped tightly on the others limp hand.

 

And then Padparadscha’s arm smacked them on the side of the head and woke them up from their dream.

 

Rutile laid there for a bit with their eyes closed before they sighed and wiggled a bit, failing and sighing once again in defeat. Their body was sandwiched in between the cold wall and Padparadscha’s widespread body, the only room Rutile had was in a small, uncomfortable ball. They weren’t  _ too _  bothered by their sleeping habits— they guessed that after being restricted to a small bed for 6 years, the other would’ve immediately sprawled out once they laid down on a bigger bed. 

 

They sat up before they took in a deep breath, using their not-present strength to tried to move the other over so they could have more room to go back to sleep. When the other moved over on their own, they let out a small sigh of relief as they got comfortable in the small space they created for themselves. Rutile laid there for a few minutes before they let out a soft sigh, looking at the wall for a little bit before they closed their eyes and tried to go back to sleep. 

 

But, as they closed their eyes and started to drift back off to sleep, their nightmare started to come back to their mind. They saw themselves kneeling next to Padparadscha’s bed in the hospital, gripping into their limp hand as they cried all of the tears that they could possibly cry. They didn’t know what else happened in the rest of their dream because their eyes snapped opened and they sighed once more. 

 

“Goddammit,” they whispered, trying not to wake the other up as they slept peacefully next to them. Rutile contemplating whether or not they should just wake them up and tell them about their dream, but they didn’t want the other to worry about them so they just fished for their phone. 

 

They laid back down and moved their messy hair out of their face and squinted as the bright light from their phone practically lit up their bedroom. Their slender fingers scrolled through their contacts before clicking on Lapis Lazuli’s contact, staring at it for a while before they started to type on the keyboard. They started to tell them about their dream and how they couldn’t go back to sleep after that, but they stopped before they could send the message, they started to count on whether or not they should send it. 

 

Lapis gave them their schedule for that week in case something like this happened, so Rutile knew that they were working late. But… if they sent it, it would be the 3rd week in a row where they had sent them a late night message because they didn’t want to worry their partner. And they don’t know what could be going on at the hospital— there could be some emergency happening or they might be sleeping in one of the unused rooms. 

 

“What to do, what to do…” they sighed, running a hand through their hair as they thought about whether they should just talk to Lapis, or worry Padparadscha again for their problems. And after a while of thinking, they just sent the other ‘Are you busy?’ before putting their phone face down and trying to fall asleep again. 

 

It was barely a minute before the phone buzzed, Lapis’ name showed up on their screen with ‘no, what’s up?’

 

Rutile felt a sudden rush to know that the other was awake, ‘bad dream again.’

 

There was a pause from when they sent their message and when the other replied. ‘You’re having bad dreams about Padparadscha again?’

 

‘Yea, they never really went away— they just aren’t as bad as they were before.’

 

Lapis started to type, but then stopped to probably think about what they should say before they started to type away again. ‘You should probably tell them about them if they’re bothering you that much. I bet that you’re just worrying about them too much— they’re fine and nothing bad going to happen to them again, just relax.’

 

Rutile sighed as they realized they the other was right, ‘I know that I should come up front and tell them, but I just don’t want to make them worried.’

 

‘You worried about them for 6 years, Rutile. It’s okay to let other people worry about you, y’know?’ 

 

‘Shut up,” Rutile said with a small smile, somewhat glad that the other's humor was able to make them crack a smile. They talked for a few more minutes before Lapis has to go and do something, giving the doctor a chance to just lay in the dark and let their eyes adjust. 

 

They rolled over and scooted closer, wrapping their arms around Padparadscha’s chest and resting their shoulder. “Pad…?” They whispered, their hazel eyes looking up at the others beautiful sleeping face. Their hand lifted up and gently cupped their face, stroking their thumb along their cheek and watched their face scrunch up a bit. “Pad?” 

 

“Hm?” The other hummed as they moved their head to look at the other and their eyes were still closed, telling Rutile that they are still half asleep. 

 

“Are you up?”

 

“Yea,” Padparadscha’s voice cracked at they spoke, their entire body moving as they stretched with a small yawn. “Is something wrong?” They asked as they stroked the others slightly messy hair with their fingers. 

 

Rutile closed their eyes as they felt their fingers run through their barely knotted hair and rub against their scalp with each stroke. “I can’t fall back asleep,” they whispered, wrapping their arms around their torso and burying their hair into their chest. 

 

The redhead let out a small hum as they rolled over on their side, holding their slightly smaller lover close to them as they kissed the top of their forehead. “Why not? Did you fall asleep early tomorrow.”

 

The other hummed as they shook their head, “no, I had a bad dream that woke me up.” They explained, closing their eyes as they listened to the other's heartbeat steadily. 

 

“Do you want me do anything-“ they didn’t finish their sentence because a large yawn interrupted what they were going to say— but Rutile knew what they wanted to say to the other. 

 

They shook their head again, “not at this moment, I just want to be close with you and see if I can fall asleep…” Padparadscha nodded, still holding the other close to them as they rested their head on the others. 

 

“Alright, wake me up if anything happens.” They muttered, Kissing the top of their head once more as they closed their eyes. Rutile nodded softly, their chest rising and falling as they sighed and closed their eyes. 

 

They laid there for a bit, listening to the others soft breaths and heartbeat while they tried to fall asleep again. Their body started to relax after a while, but then the anxious thought started to pop up in their head once again. What if the dream they had was trying to warn them about something? Or what if Padparadscha actually died in their sleep even though they’ve been fine ever since their left the hospital? Or what if-

 

They stopped their thoughts right there, gripping tightly onto the others loose t-shirt and looking up at the others face, their eyes focusing on their curls. Their hand loosened their grip shirt and grabbed a fist full of their long mane, their fingers feeling every curl that they grabbed. They laid there for a while before they decided to test sleeping out again, keeping their hand in the other's hair as they kept their eyes closed. 

 

Rutile eventually gave up on trying to fall back asleep with the worry gnawing at them every 5 seconds, sighing before they squirmed in the others arms and looked at their sleeping face. “I can’t fall back asleep again…”

 

The sleepy redhead nodded softly with their eyes still closed, “why can't you fall asleep again?”

 

“Because I’m worried.”

 

“What are you worried about?”

 

Rutile’s hazel eyes looked at the others face once more before they buried their face in the chest of the other, pressing their ear against their breastplate and listened to the steady beating of their heart. “I’m worried about you…” They muttered quietly.

 

It was quiet between the two of them for a little bit before Padparadscha’s chest rose as they sighed, their body moving as they sat up and rolled over to turn the light that was on the bedside table. The both of them simultaneously let out a groan as they squint their eyes from the sudden bright light that lit up the whole room, staying where they were for a while until their eyes were fully adjusted.

 

Padparadscha was the first person to move, letting out yet another sigh as they got up from the bed and left the room, their footsteps steadily getting quieter and quieter as they walked to a different room. Rutile watched them leave before they got up with a small grunt and they got out of the bed as well, putting on the others sweatshirt over their clothed torso and followed the other out. Their slender fingers pulled the oversized sleeves back so their hands could poke out of the cavities in the shirt as they followed the light that shone in a different room.

 

By the time they arrived, the elder was searching through the cabinets in the kitchen, taking out a few packets of something before putting some things back where they were. The younger gem watched them for a little bit before they went to the small wooden table and sat down, pulling their legs into the warm abyss that the other’s large sweater provided. It was quiet between them for a little longer before the redhead finished their task,  going to the table and putting a hot cup of tea in front of the other before sitting down across from them. “What’s going on, Rutile?”

 

Their eyes looked at the other’s worried face before they looked at the contents inside the mug, looking at their reflection for a few seconds and then brought the rim close to their lips. “I’m having bad dreams.” They muttered, their voice coming out more muffled from the tea going into their mouth.

 

.The other seemed to understand what they said because they nodded before they took a sip of their own drink, “what are you dreaming about?”

Rutile started to stall again by taking another sip of their drink, taking the rim away when their tongue was burnt and went numb. “I-” They stopped themselves from talking more, looking at the others face before they looked at the smooth surface of the table. “I’m having nightmares about you dying not too long after you woke up from your coma…”

 

There was silence for a few seconds.

 

“When did you start having those dreams?”

 

They went silent again before they continued to look at the others worried face, “ever since you went into your coma. But during the 6 years you were asleep, I always had dreams about when you left and were rushed to the hospital. They stopped when you came home a few months ago, but they just recently started coming back.”

 

Padparadscha was quiet for a bit before they put their cup down and shifted in their seat, “how long has it been since they came back?”

 

“About three weeks now— I’ve been talking to Lapis about them because they’ve been up working at the front desk for a while now and I didn’t want to wake you up and-“

 

They were silent when the other got up from their seat, the groan from the chair rubbing against the tile floor startling them a bit. They lifted their head to watch the other walk closer to them and plop down on the empty spot on the floor next to them. Padparadscha’s gentle hands grabbed their wrists and lifted up the baggy sleeves that covered their forearms, leaning in and planting a gentle kiss on the scars that lined the others arms. “You don’t need to be worried about waking me up, I’ve been asleep long enough.” They muttered against the others skin, their warm breath sending a shiver down their spine and sent blood rushing to their face and ears. 

 

It was a little thing the redhead did ever since they left the white room of the hospital— Rutile enjoyed their lover's sweet kisses on their arms, and Padparadscha knew that too even if the other was too embarrassed to admit it. 

 

Once the other woke up from their 6-year nap and was caught up on all of the things that happened, the sneaky rat Lapis is managed to slip into the others room and spilled the beans. They told the other about the things Rutile had troubled the entire time they were asleep— the cutting, How they never ate, how they never slept, and how they were always right by their side as they slept and waited for them to wake up. Yellow pitched in some things as well and Zircon added small details here and there. 

 

And walking in and seeing the worried face on Padparadscha’s face when they walked in the room tore their heart in pieces. At first they were had at the blue gem for the additional information they didn’t need to know right then, but— as usual— they outsmarted them by giving them a sympathetic smile and saying “between the both of us, we both know you were never going to tell them if no one said anything”. They couldn’t fight the truth, so they just didn’t say anything about it and walked away. 

 

The redhead never brought anything up about their knee knowledge of what happened until they got to Rutile’s place, immediately kissing the scars once the door closed. And ever since then, they kissed the lines on their forearms so that they could a) feel better about whatever insecurities they had, b) let the other know they were okay, or just to embarrass them when they’re out in public. It drove them crazy when they did it in public where all eyes could see them, but they didn’t care once they heard the others laughing and their happy smile. 

 

The younger gem gently pulled their arm out from the others hands and ran their fingers through their firey mane, a smile forming on their lips when they heard the other practically purr. “What do you want to do today?”

 

Rutile hummed as they thought, running their hand through the others knotted hair before resting their hand on their cheek. “We need to brush your hair, it’s really tangled today.” They said, watching the other rest their cheek into the others palm before they turned their head to the side and kissed their wrist. 

 

“But isn’t it always tangled though?” Padparadscha asked with curious eyes, gently holding their hand and planting more kissing on their fingers. “Why do we have to do it at this moment?”

 

“Probably because it’s really early in the morning and nothing is open— and most likely by the time you take a shower and we brush out your hair we could go out and get something to eat.” 

 

There were a few silent seconds between them before the other hummed and got off of the floor, planting one last kiss on the back of their hand before walking off to their bedroom to get clothes. A smile formed into Rutile’s lips as they grabbed their mug and drunk the rest of the lukewarm tea that was still left. They then got up, grabbed the others mug of tea and washed them out with hot water before placing them into the empty dishwasher. 

 

By the time they were done with their small chore, they could hear the water from the shower head coming out and hitting the bottom of the bathtub. They went back into the bedroom and located all of the brushes, combs, and what not so they could tame the others wild mane of hair. Once all of their “weapons” were located, they went to the closet and pulled out the clothes that they were going to wear. 

 

They put on a black turtleneck with dark blue jeans, only getting their socks on before the door opened and the other walked in with some sweatpants and a white t-shirt that was already wet from their wet hair. 

 

Padparadscha sat down with their back facing Rutile as they sighed, moving all of their hair back as the other got up to get all of the brushes and whatnot. The doctor got themselves comfortable before they split the other's hair into two parts, putting one on the other's shoulder along with a brush as well. 

 

They sighed as they took in the scent of the other and felt the others soft curls with their fingertips, starting to brush the ends of their hair. It somewhat surprised them how they weren’t going crazy with the amount of hair that they had, having to go the extra mile so it won’t look like a rats nest. “Will you ever cut your hair?” They asked after a while of the two of them brushed the other's locks. 

 

Padparadscha scoffed as they stopped their movements to look at the other, “no way I’m ever going to cut all of this off. Will you ever quit your being a doctor?”

 

Rutile shrugged, “I don’t know, probably.”

 

Surprised came on the others face, “wait, really?”

 

The other laughed as they looked at their facial expression, “Yes, Really. I know I always talked about it and all and I enjoy it, but it’s just too much work and it’s extremely stressful at times.”

 

Padparadscha hummed before they continued to brush their hair, “I guess that I can see that...” they muttered softly. 

 

Rutile nodded softly even though the other couldn’t see them, “besides, I only asked that because I’m worried that you’ll get overheated in the summer.” They explained as they continued to brush the others wet locks. 

 

“But I could put my hair up in a bun or something,” they said with a shrug, “or I could just walk around without a shirt on.”

 

“If you take even a step outside of this apartment without a shirt on, I’m going to smack you.”

 

“Oh come, Rutile. I know that-“

 

“Shut up!” The doctor yelled as they punched the other's shoulder, their face growing red and resting their face on their back while they listened to the other laugh. As usual, it wasn’t that hard to not be as mad as them as before when they heard them laugh happily— it made them relieved that they could spend a moment like this again. 

 

“Sorry for making you embarrassed,” Padparadscha said, smiling at the other as they felt their head into their back, a small chuckle leaving their curved lips. 

 

“It’s fine,” Rutile muttered, their cheeks still a light shade of pink as their chest rose with a huff. 

 

The other hummed once more, “let's make a deal, okay?” They said, which made the others eyebrow raise in slight confusion. 

 

“Depends on what it’s about, but okay.”

 

“If end up cutting my hair, you have to grow yours out.”

 

Rutile stopped their movements as they looked at the other curiously, thinking as their eyes looked at the other. And as they thought about it, they realized that they haven’t grown out their hair since they were younger. So they shrugged as they ran their fingers through the other's hair, “sure, I don’t mind doing that.”

 

Padparadscha just smiled with a small chuckle as they sighed gently, arching their back for a few seconds as they stretched. The doctor leaned back to avoid being hit from the others movements before they continued to run the hard bristles through the still semi-wet hair of the other. And after about an hour of doing the same movements and indulging in weird conversations with the other, Rutile tossed aside the brush and got off of the bed. 

 

They walked over to the closet, sitting down on the floor as they grabbed the boots that were resting against the wall. A sigh left their lips as they had to position their body to put their heel fully into the shoe before they got up and went into the living room to get their coat and what not from where they left it the night before. They held the cloth that rested on their forearms with their fingers before they pulled their coat over their arms, sitting back on the couch as they waited for the other to finish getting ready so they could leave.

 

It felt like a few minutes before soft hands held their somewhat cold cheeks and a soft pair of lips were planted on their forehead, a smile forming on their lips as they looked up at the other. “Are you ready to go?” The redhead asked as they took their hands off of the other’s face, backing away as the younger gem got up from the couch.

 

“Yea, I’ve been waiting for you to get ready to go,” Rutile replied softly, the smile on their lips growing as they watched the other put a scarf around their neck.

 

“Let’s go then,” Padparadscha whispered with a happy smile, holding the other’s hand as they left the apartment together. The doctor held the others hand tightly as the brisk wind from outside blew on the both of their bodies, making them pull the scarf over their nose to warm the rest of their face. Luckily for the both of them, there was a place that wasn’t too far from their apartment that opened pretty early in the morning, so they went there to eat instead of going out somewhere farther.

 

They weren’t the only people who decided to eat there that early in the morning, some families were eating before school started and before they had to work. The beginning half of their morning meet up was silent before Rutile noticed that the other was in deep thought about something, watching their fingers tap on the table and their eyes look outside of the window they were by. “What are you thinking about?” They asked after a minute of watching their actions, placing their lips on the rim of the hot cup they received.

 

They could tell that the red gem couldn’t expect them to say anything from the surprised look on their face when they looked at their partner. A smile formed on their lips and they rested their chin on the palm of their hand, their chest heaving with a sigh as they shook their head. “Nothing, I’m just thinking about what I wanted to do with you today.” They muttered lovingly, making the other’s blood rush to their cheeks. It wasn’t supposed to be an attempted to flirt with them, but just the tone of their voice that made them blush.

 

The doctor gave them a simple shrug before they placed the mug down and looked at them with a small smile, “mmm…” they hummed as they copied the others actions and moved their head to the side. “What do you want to do today? I chose the last time that I was off so now it’s your turn.”

 

Padparadscha hummed as well, their eyes looking into the others with the smile still on their lips. “I’m not sure… maybe we could go shopping or see a movie or something.” They suggested with a small shrug. 

 

Rutile let out a small sigh, “I guess that we could do that… but why can’t we just stay home and do that stuff?”

 

“Because that’s what we last time you were off, plus I want to do something fun with you today.”

 

The other sighed, “Mmm… I guess that we could go out…”

 

Pad raised an eyebrow, “I guess?” They repeated, their smiling growing as a few more chuckles left their lips and their eyes continued to look into the others. “I spent all this time asleep and you guess that you want to do fun stuff?”

 

Rutile nodded as a few laughs left their curved lips and they reached out to hold the others hand. “Yea, because I just want to be close with you.”

 

“Isn’t that sweet?” Padparadscha said teasingly, bringing the others hand to their lips and kissing it. Their red eyes watched their lovers face turn a bright shade of red, their lips curving against their skin. 

 

“You’re too much for me sometimes, you know that right?”

 

“I know,” they replied with a smile, taking the others hand away from their lips and stroked it with their hand. “I just enjoy seeing your face when I do these things to you.”

 

“I know you do.” Rutile replied with a smile, taking their hand out of the others and stroked the others face for a few seconds, looking at their large smile. The couple sat still and looked at each other for a few seconds before they both let out a laugh and resumed talking once again. 

 

It wasn’t much longer until their food came and the table went silent once again as they ate, only talking when they asked to have the others food. And when they left, Padparadscha ended up taking the others leftovers— even though the both of them knew that it’ll sit in the refrigerator for weeks. 

 

The two of them interlocked hands as they walked outside into the cold weather, staying close to one another so they’ll stay warm. Rutile was practically glued to the others side whenever they left a store to go walk somewhere else, hiding their face in the others somewhat warm sleeves. And luckily for them, it wasn’t much longer until they got somewhat used to the temperature. But, they still stuck to the others side, their arm and fingers entangled with the others so they didn’t lose each other in the busy rush of holiday shopping and whatnot. 

 

They went around and bought things for each other before they decided to go back home and get away from the rush and watch a movie there. 

 

Padparadscha tossed the box of leftovers into the fridge before they opened the cabinets, grabbing a box of popcorn and looking at what was inside. The younger gem watched them with a smile before they went into their room, stripping off the clothes that they wore that day and putting on something more comfortable. They grabbed a small blanket from the top of their closet and dragged it into the living room, putting it over their body as they looked at the other. 

 

“What do you want to watch?” They asked, figuring that the other didn’t know what to watch but felt like asking anyway. 

 

There was a hum from the other room as they rummaged around in the kitchen, “I don’t know, you choose something this time.”

 

“Alright, I’ll figure something out.” They replied, listening to the other hum once more in agreement before they started to flip through the channels. Nothing was too appealing to them as they watched small snippets of each movie that was shown, a majority being Christmas movies— which neither of them really cared about. 

 

They ended up retreating to grab the physical copy of one of their favorite movies and watched around a million times throughout their life. Rutile cuddled close to the other, resting their head on the other's shoulder and smiled at Padparadscha’s arm wrapped around their small figure. The younger gem smiled at the slightly older gem next to them, moving out of their comfortable position and kissed their jawline gently to get their attention. And once their red eyes looked at the other, Rutile smiled at them happily and rested their head on their shoulder once more. “I love you,” they whispered, a small laugh leaving their lips as Padparadscha pulled them closer to their somewhat larger body. 

 

“I love you, too,” they replied before they kissed the other's forehead. The two stayed cuddled together as they watched the movie showing on the tv, both of them falling asleep halfway through the movie and popcorn scattered across their laps and on the floor. 

 

And that was the night where Rutile stopped having nightmares of Padparadscha dying, but started to dream of the future that they had together. 


End file.
